Might of One EP 6: Xiba Just Wants (Leixia) to Have Fun!
by SoulsSwords
Summary: It's already bad enough that Natsu left the group, but Leixia begins feeling heart-broken and guilty over abandoning her mother. Xiba decides to ease her troubles with a night of fun! Meanwhile, Natsu is happy being reunited with Taki, but the more she trains with her, the more aggressive Arahabaki gets...
1. Dreams and Demons

Leixia wandered around the Serbian streets, observing her new surroundings. It felt so strange without Natsu by her side. She felt much more reserved and self-conscious. She wasn't really sure what to do in this town; there wasn't much like back in Luoyang. Neither Xiba nor Leixia had decided where to go after this. They agreed they weren't going back to China, so they figured they'd stick around for a few days and see what happened.

While she looked at a stand that was selling silk "Chinese themed" fans, which Leixia found humorous, she heard a strikingly familiar voice, "Leixia?" Her heart skipped a beat and her fawn eyes widened as she slowly looked around the crowd.

"M-Mother?" Xianghua came all this way looking for her? Or maybe she just imagined it? After all she didn't see her anywhere in the crowd, until she heard her voice again,

"Leixia!" it sounded more desperate, like a cry for help. She looked around frantically,

"Mother, where are you?" she overlooked a woman on her hands and knees until she quickly realized who it was, it was Xianghua alright, fatally injured, like needles were thrown into her flesh every spot possible. No one seemed to bat an eyelash or even notice her,

"Leixia…please help me." She gasped in horror and rushed over to her, holding Xianghua in her arms,

"Mother!" There wasn't a response; she only looked into her eyes, "Mother! Who did this to you?" after another lack of reply, she looked into the crowd of people passing by her, "Someone help us! She's hurt!" Some people gave her a neutral glance and kept walking.

What was wrong with these people, "Help us! Please!" Leixia was actually struggling; she wanted to belt out a cry of help, but the harder she tried to scream, the more hoarse her voice came out and her throat ached. She finally forced it out, using her diaphragm, she felt her mother's blood seeping into her hands,

"SOMEONE HELP US!"

Leixia gasped for air. There was darkness, everything was dark. She felt herself in a warm comfy bed, but with a damp pillow. Her long hair was soaked from sweat. As her eyes adjusted she remembered where she was; in a hotel, in Serbia, with Xiba in the room next door. Her heart pounded, she put her hand over it, sitting up.

It was the second night after Natsu had left…the first day was rather lonesome and mainly consisted of the two readjusting. The second day Leixia thought about something different; Natsu hadn't seen her mother in almost 15 years, yet their love brought them back together. Meanwhile Leixia lived with her mother for 15 years and abandoned her…not even leaving a note.

She quickly brushed it off; she needed her rest. The insomnia she'd had the night before wasn't too appreciative of her hard battling. The moon had only begun to sink below the skyline. By the time the sun was in the sky, Leixia had just woken up, straining her eyes by the light filtering through the window; she'd forgotten to close the curtains.

It must've been late however; the halls were filled with the chattering of other guests. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep through all of the noise. "I guess it's time to get up." She presumed, sitting up straight and putting on some day clothes and trying her hair up. Upon brushing her teeth and washing her face with water, which had been sticky from sweat, she walked out into the small lobby, where Xiba sat on a couch pouring himself some tea.

He was in his usual good mood. As he was about to take a sip, he noticed her, "Good morning."

"Hey…" she spoke flatly, sitting on the couch in front of him. The lobby was small; it contained the counter where you paid the man, two small couches with a coffee table in between. There, a tea pot above a small, lit candle kept the tea warm. She figured if someone should start a conversation, it may as well be her, "So…how did you sleep last night?" Good enough.

"I slept fine." He sipped the tea; it was labeled "dragon fruit devotion" though it tasted nothing like back at home. "Last night was one of the semi-rare occasions where I slept for a whole eight hours." It was ironic considering he hardly did anything the previous day. Xiba saw Leixia's lethargic look, he realized the point of this conversation, "What about you?"

She wiped the sleep dust from the corners of her eyes, "I slept well." She lied; Xiba gave her a suspicious look. Leixia decided to come clean, maybe talking about it will make it go away, "I slept hardly at all actually…" Xiba remembered hearing her pace around the room the night after Natsu left,

"Insomnia again?"

"No just…bad dreams. That's all." Leixia grabbed a paper cup and poured herself some tea; the heat from the pot nearly burned her hands. Xiba pouted, trying to think of a way to turn the situation around,

"If it makes you feel any better, I had this really crazy dream last night." He'd gotten her attention,

"Oh, really?" she blew into her cup.

"Yeah…it was bizarre; I remember being in the house I lived in before my mother died." Leixia was confused,

"You remember that house?"

He scratched his head, "Barely…it was at least some version of that house in my head. Anyways, my dad and Edge Master were there and…basically what happened was my teeth were falling out." Huh, this was pretty interesting. Leixia leaned forward,

"Mhm, go on."

He fiddled around with Kali-Yuga as he spoke, "Well, the first tooth I got kind of freaked out because I knew that I lost all of my baby teeth." Leixia had nearly forgotten all about her nightmare until she turned to the left of the lobby, "That's when by the handful they just kept falling out and landing in my palm." He was pretty sure it was more teeth than the human mouth actually had. It was vivid as well; he could feel the pressure on his gums when he wiggled a tooth and when he pulled the first one out. Xiba also felt the glassy feeling of the ivories in his hand.

Xiba didn't realize it but he lost Leixia's attention as she grew sadder and sadder, "But for me, the weirdest part was that my father or Master didn't even care…they just acted like nothing was wrong…" he noticed she was looking solemn and stared in the same direction. He saw a little girl resting lovingly on her mother's lap.

He wondered if this was even about Natsu, but something far more personal, "Leixia?" she shook her head, snapping back into reality,

"Mm, so what happened after you lost your teeth?" Xiba knew he had to change to subject, but answered her question first,

"That was pretty much it, I woke up…" there was an awkward pause, "You had nightmares about your mom, huh?" Leixia sighed, realizing he was smarter than he acted,

"Yeah…they were…gruesome." She scratched her cheek in embarrassment; Xiba knew she needed Natsu for a situation like this, so he decided to take her place,

"You wanna talk about it?"

She nodded, "No, it's fine…you wouldn't understand…" she looked down, Xiba hoped that's the response Natsu would've gotten. He apparently did something right, since she looked back up at him, "If I may ask, how did you fall back asleep after that dream?"

"The one I had last night?" Leixia nodded, "Well…it took me a second, but I realized my teeth were still there, and that I'm far…very far away from home."

"So…you just did a reality check?"

"Well, yeah, but mostly I realized my problems were over." Hopefully that would work…but even though _his_ problems were over, hers weren't. He hated his father with every passion he could, she was only angry at hers…her regret was lingering.

Xiba gave up and looked out the window; that's when he saw someone putting up a sign. It was about a festival that night, it talked about authentic clothing, food and "dancing at dusk". He also overheard someone talking about fireworks. He looked at the pouting girl and smiled widely, "Hey! I'll tell you what." She looked at him, her expression unchanging,

"There's gonna be a festival tonight right here! Why don't we go?" he stood up, Leixia could only frown,

"Thanks Xiba, but why don't you just go? I don't really feel like having fun right now…" Xiba snorted,

"What do you mean you don't feel like having fun?" He suddenly yanked her up onto her feet by her hand, "Besides, it wouldn't be fun going by myself." It was his attempt to take her mind off of her troubles, ease her pain. Leixia realized his generous actions but still swiped his hand away,

"No, Xiba. I really just want to rest today." She went to go back to her room to sleep. Xiba crossed his arms, becoming stern,

"You said that yesterday; that didn't get you anywhere." Leixia halted her next step, planting her feet to the floor. It was true, laying there and letting the guilt and depression eat her away wasn't helping at all… "How about this; we go there for a few hours, and if you don't like it, we can come back here. Deal?" he called from the lobby.

Leixia had to give it a chance, what did she have to lose? "Deal." Xiba smiled, mostly excited for the foods that were going to be served.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

Natsu was outside with Taki, the two rigorously practicing, Setsuka watched from inside of their home, just when Mitsurugi arrived with a small scroll. It was a small home, but a good one. It had a kitchen, washroom, (unfortunately no hot spring) and three bedrooms. Natsu was now sharing with Taki until perhaps they found a new home for just the two of them.

The strawberry-blonde was blocking every kick Taki threw on her, "Wow, so you have been hard at work, huh?" she dignified. Natsu grinned,

"Hey, a girl's gotta know her skills." Only could these two have a casual conversation while they sparred, "Also, mother, would you teach me how to use my powers for healing?" After a reverse kick, Taki paused,

"Of course. It's actually less difficult than using them in battle."

Natsu smiled gently as a response, "Um, girls, we need to talk." Mitsurugi called them into the house; Setsuka's expression upon reading the scroll was unsettling.

"What's wrong?" Taki grabbed the scroll and read it.

"Apparently there have been rumors of a war." Natsu shuddered,

"A war?" first Soul Edge now this? Setsuka forced a smile, spinning her hidden weapon,

"It's probably just a rumor; there have been plenty of them like this."

She was sure it was just to comfort her, "Before or after rumors of Soul Edge began?"

There wasn't a reply, the samurai and geisha grimaced at each other, Taki brought their attention to her, "It says that an army of…reptilian creatures were spotted marching down the trails of Hungary…"

"Reptiles?" Mitsurugi winced, "That can't be true."

"But with that thing we battled," Setsuka pointed out, "We can't just reject it."

Natsu walked away from the discussion, looking out at the amazing red sun. It was only beginning to sink down the sky, a war…it seems history does have a way of repeating itself…she thought about Leixia and Xiba. What if the two of them were caught in a war? She held her fist over her heart, trying to think of something else.


	2. A Beautiful Evening

** Souls_&_Swords: I have a request! If you have iTunes or any source of music on your computer, search up "Joyful Night" by Liang Xiao. Not only is it one of the most beautiful Chinese pieces I've ever heard but it's very suiting for the second half of this chapter =). Speaking of which, I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Natsu and Taki shared a kettle of tea as they poured cups for themselves, Natsu had wanted to say something but she couldn't quite figure out how to explain it. "Um…mother,"

"Be careful Natsu, the tea's very hot." They were in more casual clothes, sitting in the room they'd now be sharing.

"Um okay, but there's something-"

"You know…" she set down her cup, "With Toki gone permanently and since Chie took such wonderful care of you…" Taki had been pondering this thought for the past couple of days, "Maybe you and I should go back to Japan." Natsu forgot what she'd wanted to mention,

"What?" Go back home? As nice as it'd be to see Chie again, how would she ever see Leixia and Xiba again?

"Well, the others would be coming with us-" she alluded to Mitsurugi and Setsuka; them being natives of Japan as well, "But you and I could live somewhere…as mother and daughter." She smiled. Natsu grinned in return; her eyes sparkled with joy,

"That'd be wonderful." She took a sip of her hot, strawberry scented tea. Taki's smile softened,

"We could have another chance…of living a life together."

There was a silence as Natsu pictured the thought; she'd be living peacefully with her mother; no one to discriminate her or hurt her. Someone to train her and give her confidence…she'd feel like she belonged somewhere. She'd feel safe. That's when she remembered what she wanted to talk about,

"Oh, mother…" she had yet to bring this up, "Um…about…" she was having a hard time bringing it up, "Arahabaki…" Taki quickly swallowed her tea,

"Don't worry about her."

Her? And why was she so nonchalant? "Wait…what?"

"Well, for the 'her' part, Arahabaki takes the gender of its current host. And it turns out, nothing will happen when you turn 18." Natsu's stomach flipped,

"It won't?" So what Toki had said were lies…

"Nope…but Toki wasn't completely lying…" she stopped, trying to explain herself, "You see, the only time Arahabaki is capable of breaking free on her own is _when _its host is 18 or above. But the only way she'd be strong enough to do that is if you continuously used demon-based powers."

Demon based…so back in the woods, when she heard that voice...she'd used Arahabaki. That's why one of the 'petals' on her birthmark is missing. Natsu put her hand over the mark, "Mother…how do I know if my powers are demon based or not?"

Taki untied her long ponytail, "Well, they're incredibly debilitating; far more than when you use your regular powers for one…" Natsu was listening, taking mental notes, "And they're often beyond a Fu Ma ninja's extent…if you understand what I'm saying."

"I understand…much stronger than a Fu Ma ninja's strength alone." She nodded. Taki agreed,

"Exactly." Her mood suddenly changed to sadness, worrying for her child. "But Natsu…I have to warn you; this won't be easy for you until I find another way to get the demon out without killing you." Natsu frowned, more anxious than sad,

"What do you mean?"

"The demon will torture you psychologically…attempting to force you to give in to its power…"

Psychological torture? Was that what the nightmares were? She could handle that. "Okay, I can handle it." She reassured, Taki still gave her a serious look, redirecting Natsu's attitude as well,

"But I can't help you in this…all I can do is comfort you…it's up to you to _not _feed her what she wants…Demons feed off of fear, Natsu…the more afraid you are, the more it can torture you."

Natsu was afraid that very moment upon hearing those words. All she could do was nod. After a brief moment of staring at each other, Taki looked at the candle by the window and went to blow it out, "Well, let's get our rest now."

She smiled, "Okay, good night mother." She crawled into the futon next to her mother's.

"Good night, Natsu."

Natsu couldn't sleep…but that's when she realized something…the torture had slowly grown stronger upon learning of her existence…so all she had to do was ignore it. Refuse to acknowledge it. She closed herself, joyously awaiting her peaceful sleep.

X-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-X

In Serbia, the festival was quite active as people crowded the stands and played their instruments. There were also wracks of clothing, known as 'authentic' oriental wear. Xiba and Leixia were amongst the crowd, they sat at stand that served food. They had begun to adjust to the lack of chopsticks.

"Huh, this reminds me of chow mein my mother used to make." Leixia stared into the noodle bowl, twisting it on her fork. Xiba was sucking up the noodles; one fell off of his fork, forcing him to slurp it up. Leixia snickered,

"What's wrong?" He smiled, getting her to at least grin for once that day.

"You're such a piggy." She joked. Leixia then went back to frowning. Darn it! Xiba then had to ask,

"What are you sad about now? We just got here."

"I just can't stop thinking about mom…" she admitted, setting her noodle bowl down, "And I feel bad now because you paid for this and I probably can't eat it." She didn't really have an appetite that night. Xiba waved a hand; it wasn't _his _hard earned money anyway,

"Don't worry about it." He saw something had caught her attention, "Whatcha looking at?" Xiba asked, hoping his high spirit would catch onto hers. Leixia darted her direction back to the ground,

"Nothing. Nothing…" That provoked him to look off into the general direction she was looking at. It was the clothes wrack,

"If you want to buy some new clothes, go right ahead." The wild boy cheerfully recommended. Leixia wasn't sure, generally not in the mood to do anything 'fun'.

"Are you sure? I really just want to lie down…" He was getting fed up; Xiba lifted her to her feet, dragging her over to the wrack,

"That's it! Now you don't get a choice. You are going to cheer up, even if it takes all night." And boy was he serious! He pushed Leixia into the girl at the wrack; she was suddenly full of admiration,

"Oh my god…you're gorgeous!" she exclaimed, scanning Leixia up and down. She suddenly fixed her posture to up right,

"I am?" the girl suddenly stroked her long bangs,

"Yes! Oh, I know what you'd look great in! As long as you don't mind parting with your old clothes…" It was a charity, trade hand me down clothes for authentic 'new' ones. She looked at her lotus-themed attire; it was quite sickening at this point. She nodded, grinning,

"Sure. But I want to keep my necklace!" she put her hand over the Dvapara-Yuga. The girl nodded,

"That's fine." Leixia then realized she was sick of something else,

"Um…could we do something about my hair, also?" the girl giddied up even more,

"Yes! Oh, you're going to look so pretty once I'm done!" She dragged her into the tent, taking with her a short tube-top that showed the belly-button, a short sleeved jacket to go over it, (which had the symbol Yin-and-Yang on the back) and shoes and socks similar to the ones Leixia already had on.

The attire ranged from different shades of blue, which looked quite good on Leixia. It also matched her pendant even more. Leixia then took her hair down and watched as the girl whipped out a sword, held out her hair, placing the sword right below her chin line, and _SHIFF. _Leixia had shut her eyes, afraid of what she'd look like. She looked down to see her once long locks of brown hair on the floor. The woman finished by putting a crescent shaped hair pin on her.

"Ta da!" She cried, alerting Leixia that it was time for her to look into the mirror. She saw a pretty young woman staring back into her, with a wavy, elegant bob cut. Leixia felt like a new person…she didn't know why, but she did…and she liked it. After thanking the woman, the Chinese girl peaked out of the tent, only to see Xiba amongst the crowd, sitting at the side.

She shyly approached him, "Um…Xiba?" He had to do a double take, not expecting her new hair. He stood up,

"Oh hey! You look nice." He smiled. Leixia blushed,

"Oh um…" she couldn't look him in the eyes at that moment. She didn't know why, she smiled, looking at the ground, "Thank you…I'm glad I did it."

"I'm glad to finally see you smiling." Xiba sincerely added, meaning it whole-heartedly. Leixia's cheeks were pink as she looked up at the boy,

"Well…it's been fun, but maybe we should go back to-"

"Are you kidding?" He optimistically interrupted, "The dancing at dusk is about to start, that'll be a lot of fun!" Leixia giggled,

"I don't dance…I'm not very good." The heard the music begin; the band consisted of a man playing the fiddle, and another on the triangle. They played a lively and upbeat song. Xiba heeded her words and grabbed her hand,

"Neither am I!" All he cared about was the fun. They joined the crowd, doing the same thing as they were. Leixia and Xiba's hands were clasped into each other's as they span around and hopped joyously to the music. Leixia found herself smiling, everyone else just wanted to have a good time, including Xiba. Including herself…

The more the song continued the giddier and fun the dancing became. Leixia finally lost herself as she gently tugged away from Xiba. She spread her arms out like wings and laughed in her happiness. She span and twirled in the middle of the crowd. Xiba stood watching, proud of his work. He was happy he could at least do something right for once.

As Leixia stopped for a second, getting a bit dizzy, she saw something odd amongst the dancing. Two girls were on both sides of Xiba, he looked not so pleased. "Um so…I saw you around and I kind of want to-"

The other girl butted in, "Hey! I pointed him out; it's my turn to dance with him." Leixia didn't know why, but it made her angry…Xiba was no toy; they couldn't just 'take turns'. As she was about to approach them, Xiba slowly slid away from them,

"Um sorry but…I should actually get going." He backed up towards Leixia, gesturing that they should go somewhere else. She smiled. The two girls let out a sad 'aww…'

The duo found themselves laughing at the incident, "Well that was…awkward." Xiba giggled. Leixia smiled,

"Yeah, besides; I saw you before either one of them." She jokingly added. Leixia then realized she had something to say to him. She stepped in front of him, blocking his way. "Xiba…" she looked into his eyes, "Thank you…thank you so much for taking me out tonight."

Xiba never knew how to respond to praise, "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be lying around in bed letting the guilt take me over." He frowned. Leixia then played his game, suddenly growing cheerful, "And I wouldn't have gotten this amazing new hair!" She gently twirled her short bangs. They laughed.

"Well, I'm glad I could help." Leixia smiled. That's when she lost the ability to look into his eyes again. She looked at her feet. "What's…wrong?"

She tried to snap out of it; what was this? "Nothing…It's weird, I-" suddenly a man stumbled into her,

"Oh, sorry!" The man had knocked her forward, she would've toppled over, but she found herself in Xiba's arms…her head on his chest.

"I gotcha." He casually stated, blocking her fall. Leixia felt her cheeks grow red; it seemed everything was moving so slowly all of the sudden. It was weird, but she didn't really want to move…she liked the warmth of his arms. She suddenly snapped back into reality and took a step back,

"Oh! Um…thank you…" she put a hand over her mouth, Xiba managed to catch how red she was; being oblivious to the cause of it,

"You look a little flushed; do you feel sick?"

"Um…" she kept stuttering; why was she so nervous around someone she was so familiar with? "Hey Xiba, why don't we…watch the fireworks?" she suggested.

Xiba liked that plan, "Okay! How about somewhere alone?" She was stunned; alone? "You know, where we can see them better. Like on a hill."

Leixia was strangely disappointed upon realizing what he had meant, "Oh…okay." The entire walk to the nearest hill, the pink hue wouldn't fade from her cheeks. Nor would her heart stop pounding…


	3. Forever

**Souls_&_Swords: Let me know if I post too much at a time; If I have time to write I do it…but I don't want to freak people out…Also, FLUFF WARNING!**

Natsu's stomach had a sickly feeling at around one in the morning. It was a nauseated and icky sensation. She woke up clenching her stomach. What the hell had happened? She ate a nice dinner, had a sip of tea, slept peacefully, it was so sudden when she woke up to this. A quiet groan escaped her throat as she sat upright, trying to see if maybe her position effected her digestion or something.

The ginger-blonde then noticed nature calling as she quietly stepped over her mother to go to the restroom. Natsu didn't even bother lighting the candle in the room as she was too tired and probably couldn't handle any source of light at the moment. She held her abdomen as she softly urinated into the toilet. It was strangely painful.

This felt too 'normal' for it to be Arahabaki's work…perhaps she'd caught a stomach bug of some sort? Oh well. Sickness doesn't last forever. Natsu's bladder was relieved, but her stomach wasn't as she felt like she'd vomit. After washing her hands and preparing to go back to sleep, she heard a knocking sound.

Not even a knock…more of a scratch. It was probably a mouse or a squirrel she thought. As she gazed into the mirror, looking into the dark figure that stared back at her, she noticed another figure appeared behind her. Natsu wiped her eyes, quite aware that she was half-asleep. Though, the figure looked like a thin, giant woman.

Her nausea wasn't doing any wonders; perhaps she'd light the candle and make staring into space a little less difficult. "Where are the matches?" she moaned, feeling around the counter for them. She put her hand around a glass object, which was the lantern; the matches were probably next to it. Needless to say, she could make out the figure of a small square box next to it. As she closed her eyes, tired, she put her hand on the box…only to feel another hand already on it.

The flesh was cold as she jerked her hand back, flinching. She knew she was tired, but…to feel another person's flesh that wasn't there? Natsu began to shake as she hesitantly and slowly reached back for the matches. Nothing but the papery feeling of the box. A sigh of relief was let out as she lit the match. Upon lighting the lantern, she looked up to see an emaciated, pale woman in nothing but the remains of a tattered bodysuit.

She had claws about a foot in length, which was the same length as her fingers. It let out an inhumane hiss and the creature was face to face with Natsu, with its blood red eyes. Taki awoke when she heard rapid footsteps pass her room.

"Oh god! Poor thing!" Setsuka called from the bathroom. She then heard the sound of retching and vomiting and leapt to her feet. Taki went into the room to see a weak and ill Natsu on her hands and knees, throwing up violently.

"Natsu!" she knelt down, getting her to the toilet and holding up her hair, Setsuka stepped over the smeared vomit on the ground, "Honey, it's okay." She rubbed her back. She hated to see her in pain,

"Poor baby…" Setsuka affectionately sympathized, "She's sick."

Taki was saddened as well, Natsu was now dry-heaving; her body violently and painfully thrusted even though there was nothing left to release from her stomach. "It's probably just a bug; let's get you in some new pajamas and get you to bed." She gently stroked her hair. Natsu was able to lift her head and look into the mirror. The thing that had scared her into sickness was vanished. Arahabaki did this…not because she was alone…but because she saw that she was afraid.

Meanwhile, in a country directly below theirs, the duo was having a night completely opposite of Natsu's. Xiba and Leixia had wandered far from the festival and were walking up a mountain; it'd be the perfect view of the fireworks. Leixia was breathless, "I guess growing up in a particularly flat part of China didn't help." She sighed. Envious of Xiba's strength,

"Well, I grew up in the mountains, so this is nothing." He was used to the tired aches of his legs from climbing. At times though he'd need Kali-Yuga to balance him while he rested. Upon reaching the peak, Leixia was practically crawling. That's when she saw a hand reached out, "Need help?"

She looked up at Xiba's gentle smile. Her eyes beamed as she slowly grabbed his hand…why did it feel different than when he grabbed her hand before? Her cheeks grew hot again as he lifted her to the top. "Thanks." She grabbed her arm out of nervousness.

Leixia then turned around and was just as amazed as Xiba was, "You can see everything from up here." He beamed, sitting down. Leixia sat to the left of him, looking at the stars and the cheerfully lit town below, "The fireworks are probably coming soon."

She hugged her knees; suddenly shy…she had a question, "Xiba?" he turned his head, "If you don't mind me asking…why did you come with us?" her short, elegant bob was gently lifted by a soft breeze.

Xiba sat a bit straighter, "Well, I guess it's-" he was interrupted by the sound of the bamboo creaking nearby, startling the two. The wind must've tilted the hollow plants. He giggled, "God I love it when they do that." Leixia raised a brow, "When the bamboo creaks; ever since I was little, I thought it was the coolest thing." She realized she liked it when Xiba acquainted himself better with her in these ways, sharing little stories here or there.

She realized it was her turn, "You know, I was terrified of bamboo forests when I was young." He laid on his side, his elbow keeping his head off of the grass. He was listening,

"Really?"

"Yeah…when I was five and my brother was three, my mother took us to the bamboo woods one night for a fun trip." She pictured it in her head, "I remember I kept running ahead of her and she'd keep worrying and yelling at me to wait." She giggled, "I was just so fascinated; I wanted to see everything." Xiba smirked; he liked hearing her share a story for once. But then she grew melancholic.

"But after a while, she got distracted with my brother, and the moment she let go of my hand for that split second, I was history." She remembered wandering around and looking up at the monstrous shadows in wonder. "At one point I couldn't even hear her call my name anymore."

"So…after a while I got kind of scared, because I was alone…then the wind started to blow. On all sides of me there was nothing but loud creaking and I was _petrified_." She could feel her terror just talking about it. Xiba sat back up again, "I just curled up into a ball of fear and started crying and screaming…that was when my mom heard me and found me…" she winced, "And instead of punishing me, she told me I didn't have to be afraid and that the bamboo were only singing." It sounded strange ten years later but a terrified child would take anything. Xiba smiled,

"That's sweet."

"She really was a good mother…" Oh no, back to this, "Abandoning her was a stupid thing, but…she never listened to me anymore." It was as if she was confiding to Xiba, "Granted…I probably had it easier than you did, but-"

"Leixia, it's fine. It's like you didn't have a voice." He reminded her that even though he had it tough, he'd always listen.

She softened her tone, "Exactly." They'd forgotten completely about the original question, but at this point. It was self-explanatory. That's when they heard a loud whistling and booming in the sky. The two watched in awe as reds and yellows were cast in the sky. While Xiba was entranced and busy gazing in wonder, Leixia noticed his hand next to hers.

It was such a beautiful moment…she didn't understand why, but she wanted to hold onto his arm and press her cheek into his shoulder. Or she could lay her head onto his chest and he could hold her. Leixia just wanted to be next to Xiba…in a different way than it seemed. She slowly began to walk her hand over to his, using her fingers as legs.

She hesitated.

What if he didn't feel that way? As she decided to take the risk he suddenly, as if he knew, moved his hand away, "You know," he began. As he looked over, Leixia swiped her hand back onto her lap, "This is my first time seeing fireworks." Xiba smiled. Leixia was aghast,

"Really?"

"Mhm, growing up, because the temple was such a private and reserved area, we never really did anything flashy or…fun for our ceremonies." The two giggled at that last resort.

"Xiba…" he had his attention,

"Yeah?" She looked into his hazel eyes…there was such a gentle innocence to them…yet they were so full of life. Leixia wanted to get a closer look so badly,

"Do you…" her heart pounded and welted with anxiety, Xiba noticed her pained look,

"Do I what?"

She imagined herself gently pressing her lips onto his, "Do you…like me?" She flatly asked, amazed at her courage. He was confused, unaware of what she'd meant by it.

"Of course." He smiled, playfully punching her arm, "You're pretty cool." She rubbed her arm, now sore. Satisfied enough with the answer.

"Thanks…you are too." She looked into his eyes and blushed once again. Leixia just couldn't resist the gentle smile forming on her face. If it weren't for her incredible self-control, she'd turn the boy right around and kiss him until they were breathless.

Xiba watched as the sky and colors grew dim, "So…should we go back now?" He yawned, "They'll probably be over soon." He lied down on his back, positioning his head with his hands; Leixia looked down at him,

"Not yet…I kind of want to sit here with you." She admitted. He shrugged,

"Okay."

Leixia hadn't finished her sentence though, "…Forever." She whispered.

"Huh?"

"Nothing…let's just watch them." She copied his position and daydreamed; she thought of doing this every night with him, seeing the world together…perhaps the utopia she'd ran away to find had already found her long ago.

The two never saw it coming but they both fell into a light slumber next to each other on that hill. Unaware that someone wasn't too far away…


	4. Cry of the Warrior

Though Leixia had gone to sleep with joyous thoughts, she had abominable dreams: Being split into two by the monstrous golem, drowning in a whirling vortex of mud, being buried in stone, and most fearsomely, buried alive. She was crying out in helplessness and speechlessness as she could see her family members mourning for her through the casket.

She whimpered and twitched in her sleep, the two were still next to each other on the grassy mountain. Leixia's gasping and turning wouldn't cease. Xiba on the other hand was just waking up; he'd been sleeping for about an hour or so. Though he slept a short period of time, his dreams were often exaggerated and surreal. Ironic that he forgot most of them. That's when the auburn-haired boy saw Leixia's internal struggle, hearing her whine and moan.

Xiba put his hands on her arm, "Leixia." The images in her head then began to waver and break apart; she didn't even try to hold onto them as they were horrendous. Xiba grew concerned at her fearful expression and shook her, "Leixia." He said louder, more affirmative. Her nightmare wavered again and began to darken. The comforting voice from outside pierced into the vision like the way a needle would pierce into an egg shell.

"Leixia!"

She snapped out of her horrific sleep, sitting up straight, "Huh? What?" she gasped. Relieved to see Xiba next to her, she caught her breath,

"You were-" But she still had to be asleep; as an unknown figure suddenly pounced from the darkness, attacking Xiba. A shocked cry escaped his throat as the mysterious cloaked figure dragged him away from his weapon and pinned him down. Leixia banged her fists against her head, trying to wake up.

But this was reality; the hooded figure was over the teenage boy, without a weapon and attempting to heft his own weight. "Who do you think you are? Stealing a lady away from her palace?"

Leixia stood up, "Wait…" she recognized that voice, and she didn't like it. Xiba tried to get the man's grasp away from his neck,

"What the hell are you talking about?" Xiba struggled as Leixia ran over with Ten Feet of Blue, holding against the stranger's neck,

"Show yourself! Or die!" she yelled in anger. The attacker grinned and removed the hood, Leixia gasped in horror, "Bohai?" Xiba gave in on his attempts to lift him up, but if she knew this person then perhaps she could reason with him.

Bohai's horse was waiting inside the forest of trees nearby, only coming if Bohai called him over. He'd traveled all the way from the Ming Empire to retrieve her upon Yan Wujin's request. "You better believe it's me." He snickered, attempting to hug his 'fiancé'. The Chinese swordswoman pushed his arms away,

"Don't touch me! Why are you here?" Xiba stood up, rubbing the bruise on his neck. The smug look didn't leave the brute's face,

"What do you think? Your family's been worried sick; so they sent me to save my future wife." Xiba cringed,

"Your future what?"

"No!" Leixia refused, "I ran away on my own accord!" She stepped closer, unafraid of the abomination of a human being, "And even if I came home, I would never marry a delinquent like you!" She said, face to face with the boy. Bohai only laughed,

"So…" he gestured a hand to Xiba, "What you're saying is if I don't go home and say you were kidnapped by some…rod master," he pointed at the Kali Yuga, quite a few feet away from them, "And I rescued her in the nick of time they won't believe me?"

Leixia's Dvapara-Yuga necklace gleamed in the moonlight, "Fat chance! In fact, if I ever come home, I'll tell them all about the disrespectful things you've done to me!"

Bohai smiled sinisterly, "And you suppose they'll believe the girl who lied and ran away? Just after having a fight with them?" Leixia's anger transitioned into sadness and a twinge of regret. Xiba could see the intensity rising and mentally calculated how quickly he could get to his staff without Bohai noticing.

"Didn't think so…" He held out a hand, "So why don't we just go home and have us a wedding so I can finally inherit the palace." That's the only reason he wanted to marry her? He was never a member of the Yan family and never would be. The angry girl smacked his hand away as Xiba slowly began to creep over to his weapon, backing away from Bohai.

"No! I will _never _marry you!" Bohai hadn't given up; he turned around and saw the spiritual inheritor sneaking off,

"Hey!" Xiba then ran for it, tripping into a sink hole. Kali Yuga was just in arm's reach. But he was forcefully dragged back and pinned down underneath the massively strong man. His hands were on his throat again, his weight crushed Xiba's rib cage. "So you wanna fight with me? Brave guy?" He reminded him of his father as he looked at him with rage, "Come on, be a man." He whipped out a long, jagged sword.

Oh no. Leixia gasped, running over, "Bohai! Stop it!"

"Leixia, it's okay." Xiba muttered, hardly able to breathe, he could feel his lungs compressing. Leixia's eyes filled with tears, "I'm not a man like him." Xiba had meant his father, but Bohai believed it was him he was referring to and cried out into the night. As he was about to slash Xiba's throat open, he grabbed the sword's blade, bloodying his hand but stopping the force of the blow.

"STOP IT! DON'T HURT HIM!" Leixia wailed, too afraid to use her own weapon. Her tears didn't bring any humanity to Bohai as he was getting closer to Xiba's flesh. He couldn't hold it away any longer when Leixia stomped forward, "I'M SORRY!"

There was a pause. Bohai easily drifted the sword away from Xiba's body; he dropped his sliced hand into the grass. It stung and bled. Bohai was stunned at her sudden apology. As he stood up he violently stomped into Xiba's side, he heard a crack as he yelped in pain.

"I'm sorry!" the hysterical girl cried, "I never should've left!" she threw Bohai's sword to the side, hugging him. She was truly desperate, "I never should've ran away…I'd love to marry you." She lied. Her wet, gleaming eyes looked at Xiba, who stared right back in her in worry. His greenish brown eyes were bloodshot as he grasped his left side. Bohai had broken one of his ribs.

Looking at her closest companion was too painful as she closed her eyes, "Take me home. We'll get married right away…just please leave my friend alone." Leixia mustered up the courage to look at the boy she really loved one last time. Aside from the physical pain, she could see his emotional pain too; he'd be left alone and hurt.

Without another moments rest, Bohai snapped his fingers and his horse trotted out of the brindle and stood next to the injured Xiba. After helping Leixia up, she looked back down at him. He'd gained the strength to sit himself up with his other arm that he was able to use. She was in hysterics; tears dripping down her face, her nose was running.

She couldn't say goodbye to him…she couldn't. She held out her hand to him, leaning downward. Leixia wanted to take him with her.

_Xiba…do you like me?_

He didn't realize how much his friendship meant to her until now. While he wasn't aware how much more there was to it, he felt important.

As he lifted his bloody hand, their fingers could only glide across each other's before the horse charged off. As the sound of its galloping grew more and more faint, Xiba used his staff and lifted himself upward.

"Leixia…" he whispered.

Just like that, he was alone…the two greatest people to come into his life were gone…Leixia buried her face into Bohai's back, weeping for the end of her utopia.

**End of Episode 6. Stay Alert. =)**


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